What I Know
by blowflylaura
Summary: Rachel first met Quinn when she was Lucy. Now they're older, one of them has to deal with the fact that she doesn't view the other girl as just a friend anymore whilst the other has to deal with the fact that she doesn't like the girl her friend has become. (Title may change)
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: These characters belong to the creators of Glee, I own nothing. If I did, Faberry would most definitely be a couple.

A/N: Hello, I hope I do Rucy justice as I found it quite difficult. I also hope you enjoy it and all mistakes are mine :)

* * *

Lucy kicks her legs aimlessly underneath the kitchen table, accidentally hitting her mother twice in the knee. She apologises quietly before her mother tells her to keep her feet still. She places her feet behind the rung of the chair so she's not tempted to start kicking them again.

She had asked her mom to take her to the playground so she could go on the swings but her mother had regrettably turned her request down stating that a storm was coming and she didn't want them to be caught in it. She understood her mother's reasoning but she had really wanted to go on the swings.

They eat lunch in silence and when they're finished, her mother takes her plate from her and starts washing the dishes in silence.

Her father comes up behind Lucy and kisses her on the top of the head before greeting his wife.

She may only be eight but she can tell that something wrong.

Maybe it's the way her mom shrinks away from his touch or the way he doesn't try to touch her again but she knows something is wrong with her parents.

She thinks something might have been wrong for a while.

She's expecting both of them to sit her down soon and explain the situation to her. That's what they did when her grandma passed away. They had sat her down and explained to her that whereas most people who are ill get better, her nana didn't and was now living in heaven with the angels.

"Looks like the new neighbours are moving in today."

She hears her father tell his wife the little piece of information but he doesn't receive a response. She asks her mother if she can be excused from the table and rushes upstairs to her bedroom. She grabs hold of her curtains and peeks out of her window, pulling herself out of sight when somebody looks in her direction. She counts to five before attempting to look again.

Two men are standing on the sidewalk engaging in conversation whilst several other men carry boxes from the moving van into the house. One of the men on the sidewalk disappears into the house whilst the other one starts carrying boxes from the van to the house.

She observes them for several seconds before her eyes fall to a small brunette skipping across the front yard happily.

Rachel stops skipping as a shiver runs through her. She can't shake the feeling that she's being watched. Scanning the new neighbourhood, her eyes fall on a person standing in one of the front windows in the house opposite her. She can just about make out a blonde girl, who can't be much older than her. Deciding to be friendly, she waves emphatically at the girl. It takes a few seconds before she receives a shy wave back. Rachel giggles as the girl quickly ducks out of view. She waits to see if the blonde girl is going to reappear and when she doesn't, Rachel starts skipping around the house again.

Lucy rests against the wall of her bedroom trying to stop herself from running straight across the street and introducing herself to the other girl. She doesn't want to seem too eager. The previous owners of the house over the street had kept to themselves and never really made an effort to fit into the neighbourhood but Lucy has a feeling this family would be different. In her eyes this new family are already better than the old one because they have a young daughter. Lucy's not very good at ages but the brunette looks about the same age as her and she's thrilled at the prospect of having somebody to play with.

Deciding that she wants to meet the mystery brunette, she dashes downstairs and pops her head around the kitchen door to see her mother with her head in her hands, an empty wine glass beside her. Lucy frowns, her parents only ever use wine glasses late at night when she's gone to bed and it's only early afternoon now. Shaking it off, she creeps towards her front door, opening and closing it as quietly as she can.

Her parents don't like her going too far from the house but surely just going to the house opposite isn't too far. She knows her father has gone to work because his car is gone from the driveway and her mother seems too busy in the kitchen to notice her brief absence.

Besides, it's not like she'll be long.

Staring down the street, Lucy waits to make sure no cars are coming before she runs across the road and halts at the gate of the house. Tentatively she steps inside and a wave of disappointment surges through her when she thinks she might have missed the brunette.

Maybe she's gone inside the house to help her parents or maybe they're having something to eat.

Even though the front door is wide open and Lucy wants to find the brunette, she stays where she is because it would be rude to enter somebody else's house without their permission.

She finds it odd how quiet the house is, especially considering its moving day for the new family.

"Are you looking for something?"

Lucy's head snaps to her left at the voice and she is met by the very same person she's was hoping to find. The brunette is staring at her in awe but her face holds a wide grin.

"I was actually looking for you," Lucy states quietly, embarrassed at just admitting that to a complete stranger, her cheeks flush.

Rachel tilts her head to the side and if possible, her grin broadens. "You found me," she says whilst studying the girl standing before her. The blonde's square, black glasses look too big for her face and hide her hazel eyes which Rachel thinks have golden flecks in them but they suit her in a bizarre way. She watches as the blonde stuffs her hands into the pockets of her dungarees and scuffs her feet nervously.

"I'm Rachel Berry," Rachel pronounces loudly, hoping to make the girl feel more at ease.

"I'm Lucy. Lucy Fabray."

"Nice to meet you Lucy Fabray."

"I live in the house across the street." She points to her house and Rachel's eyes follow.

"I know, I saw you in the window."

"I wasn't spying," Lucy replies instantly because her parents would tell her off if they thought she was being nosey.

Rachel shrugs her shoulders. "I don't mind."

"Where did you move from?"

"Seattle, my daddy got a new job so we had to move even though I didn't want to."

"Lima's not too bad," Lucy says, trying to appease the girl in front of her, even if it's not strictly true. "Did you leave a lot of friends in Seattle?"

She knows that she's might start to annoy Rachel by asking questions but she finds it interesting to learn about people. She doesn't have any friends her own age but having no friends can have its advantages too. She watches the other people who live in her neighbourhood and some of them she's befriended.

That's how she knows that Mr Muldrew often invites another woman into his house who isn't his wife. She doesn't really understand why and when she told her mother about it, her mom had whispered '_his poor wife'_ and mentioned something about Mr Muldrew having his cake and eating it too. She doesn't understand that either because if you have a cake, what else would you do but eat it?

She also knows that Mrs Patterson hasn't been the same since the day a hearse pulled up outside her house. Lucy always liked Mrs Patterson because she would give her glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice during the summer months but since that hearse pulled up, Lucy hasn't received any juice. Her father told her that Mrs Patterson had lost her son like they had lost nana and she shouldn't bother her.

Another thing she knows is that Mrs Winters, the elderly lady who lives down the street from her, spends her retirement baking the nicest apple pies she has ever tasted. Much better than her mom's but she daren't tell her mom that. Most people in her neighbourhood just greet each other briefly in passing, and they never really know each other.

Lucy thinks that everybody else is missing out because Mrs Winter's pies really are delicious.

"I didn't really have many friends," Rachel says quietly. "My dads say that the other children just didn't understand me but I think they just found me annoying."

"I don't find you annoying," Lucy offers gently and receives a grateful smile in return. "Did you say dads?"

The brunette bobs her head in response. "They're inside unpacking boxes. Would you like to come inside?"

Lucy looks over her shoulder at her own house and wonders whether her mother has realised she's gone yet. She knows that she should go back home and at least tell her mom where she'll be but she doesn't want to walk away from Rachel.

There's something about her, a certain warmth radiates from her and it makes Lucy feel at ease.

It makes her feel comforted.

"Yes please," she replies politely.

"I can show you my room although it's just an empty space at the moment," Rachel says, grabbing Lucy's hand with her own and leading her into the house. "You'll have to come over and see it when it's finished. We can have a sleepover."

Lucy's heart swells at that suggestion. She's never been invited to a sleepover before.

"You can come and see mine too one day."

Rachel guides her up a flight of stairs before pushing open the last wooden door on the floor and entering what Lucy presumes is her bedroom. Lucy stares at the room in awe, it's a lot bigger than her own bedroom and whereas she has white carpet, Rachel has hardwood flooring. However, the thing that catches Lucy's attention more than anything else is the window seat.

She had always wanted one of them.

"That's my favourite part too," Rachel says, obviously following the other girl's line of sight. She heads over and sits on it, gesturing for Lucy to mimic her actions. "It's really comfy but I think it needs some cushions to make it even comfier." Lucy walks timidly over to the window seat and sits down, tucking her feet underneath her. Even though Rachel invited her inside and clearly wants her to be there, Lucy still feels like she shouldn't be in Rachel's room. "It overlooks your house," Rachel points out. "I wonder if I can see you when you're in your room."

"If you can we can always say hello to each other from our bedrooms," Lucy proposes and Rachel nods in agreement.

"Is that your dog?" Rachel looks out the window to see an Old English sheepdog running around Lucy's front yard, sniffing the ground before rolling around playfully on it.

Lucy pushes her glasses further up her nose and mentally scolds her dog because now he's going to be dirty and the task of giving him a bath will fall to her and it is no easy feat. "His name is Dusty. My parents bought him for me to keep me company."

"Do your parents not keep you company?"

Lucy shrugs her shoulders and keeps her eyes trained on her dog. "They have their own things to deal with," she explains and her voice holds a certain tone that Rachel recognises.

She's heard the tone in her dad's voice a couple of times and her dad told her once that sometimes people have things they don't really want to talk about so she should let the subject drop. Rachel senses that this is one of those times so she doesn't press any further.

Noticing that Lucy's face has fallen since Rachel asked about her parents, she decides to change the topic and hopes Lucy will smile again because she has a really lovely smile. "He looks really cuddly."

"He is, he's very friendly as well," Lucy tells her, a small smile filling her face and Rachel mentally applauds herself. "You'll have to come over and see him one day, I'm sure he'd love to make a new friend."

"Will he not knock me over?" Rachel asks. "He's really big."

Lucy shakes her head. "You'll be fine, I'm not much taller than you and he doesn't knock me over," she reassures Rachel before they both look out of the window.

"Rachel?"

Both girls bring their attention away from the window and towards Rachel's bedroom door as a male voice reverberates around the house. Lucy presumes that it's one of Rachel's dads.

"I'm in my room daddy." Rachel stands up and heads towards her door, waiting for her dad to appear.

The bedroom door opens and a tall man walks in, his face covered by the two boxes he is carrying. "Me and your dad have been looking for you; we thought you'd probably want us to unpack your room first?"

"Yes please," Rachel replies, eager at the prospect of filling her new room with all her personal items.

Rachel's dad places the box in the middle of the room. Grimacing as his back cracks when he returns to an upright position. "Do you want to go and find your boxes?" He asks his daughter and Lucy is sure that he hasn't even noticed her yet.

"I have company," Rachel tells him, trying to act grown up.

"Company?" He turns around to see what his daughter is staring at and smiles warmly at the blonde girl sitting nervously on his daughter's window seat. She gives him a shy wave and smile. "Hello, I'm Hiram Berry."

"Nice to meet you Mr Berry, I'm Lucy Fabray."

Hiram gushes at Lucy's politeness. "Well it's lovely to meet you too Lucy."

"Lucy lives in the house opposite us daddy, isn't that great. I have somebody to play with now and I didn't have that in Seattle."

Hiram looks at his daughter, silently telling her to calm down because he knows better than anybody how excitable she can become but his heart swells at her happiness.

"You should have told us you had company rather than just sneaking her upstairs. We could have offered her something to eat or drink."

Rachel scrunches her eyes shut quickly before opening them again. Her dads had brought her up with manners and she's mad at herself because she should have already asked that question. "Would you like something to eat or drink?"

Lucy blushes but she's not sure why. "No thank you."

"I'll go and bring the rest of your boxes upstairs and you can show Lucy some of your things if you want," Hiram offers, receiving a '_yes please_' from his daughter.

Once Hiram leaves the room, Rachel bounds back over to the window seat and starts talking animatedly to her new friend. "I have so many things I can show you," she gushes.

"I should probably be heading back home," Lucy says despondently. "I didn't tell my mom where I was going, she must be worried."

She's pretty sure that's a lie, Lucy would be surprised if her mom has noticed her absence. She hadn't been gone long, her mom would just think she was playing in her room because that was always what she did but still, she didn't want her mom to worry.

Rachel pouts at her but doesn't try to argue. A low rumble of thunder causes both girls to look up towards the sky. Rachel stiffens at the noise whilst Lucy laughs.

"I love storms," she tells her happily.

"They frighten me," Rachel admits quietly, embarrassed at the confession.

"Don't worry," Lucy offers, "I'll look after you."

"How?"

Lucy thinks about the question for a moment before undoing the home-made bracelet which rests on her wrist. "Hold out your hand," she orders and Rachel complies. Lucy wraps her bracelet around the brunette's wrist. "If you get scared, look at that and think I'm only across the street."

Rachel stares down at the bracelet and trails her fingers across it, a small smile on her face. "I don't have anything to give to you."

"I don't need anything."

"I'll find something when we unpack." Rachel tells her. "You're the first friend I've made here so you have to have something. It's only fair."

"Friend?" Lucy's face lights up at the word. "We're friends."

"Why wouldn't we be?"

"I don't know," Lucy says quietly, embarrassed at the glee which had filled her voice earlier. "I should go."

Rachel stands up alongside her. "Do you want to come over tomorrow?"

"If it's alright with my parents," Lucy tells her. "If it's alright with your parents I can bring Dusty." The brunette nods along with Lucy's suggestion. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

* * *

She's heading to bed when she sees the envelope sitting on the door mat. She frowns at it because the mail only comes in the morning and Dusty usually barks to signal the mailman's arrival. In fact he normally barks whenever somebody comes to the front door but he has been silent all night, even though he's been sitting in front of the bay window in their living room.

Curious as to what it could be, she walks slowly towards it and picks it up. She turns the envelope over in her hands and surprise floods through her when she sees that it's addressed to her. Her name is written on the envelope and she immediately knows that it must be from Rachel because the handwriting isn't neat enough to be an adult's.

Excitement flows through her body. She never receives mail, except from the odd birthday card from distant relatives.

She didn't expect Rachel to give her something; she thought the other girl might have forgotten.

After eagerly opening the envelope, she empties the content into her hand and watches as a home-made necklace falls out. Lucy inspects it thoroughly, turning it over and over in her hands. The necklace is made from a large piece of string, knotted at the end, large enough for Lucy to put over her head and at the centre of the necklace is a small gold star

Racing upstairs to her bedroom, she opens her curtains and stares at the house opposite her but is disappointed to see that Rachel's bedroom is clouded in darkness. Putting the necklace on, she fingers the gold star, unsure as to why that's the symbol Rachel chose to give her.

She'll have to ask her tomorrow.

Dusty pads into her bedroom slowly and nuzzles his head against her side. She kneels down so she can stroke his affectionately. "I finally have a friend Dusty."

He barks at her in response and Lucy can't believe how happy she is that her mom never took her to the playground today.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: These characters belong to the creators of Glee, I own nothing. If I did, Faberry would most definitely be a couple.

A/N: I hope you enjoy it and all mistakes are mine :)

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

She's sitting on her bed when the rain starts to fall. She watches as the rain drops slide down her window, hitting the outside of the sill and falling to the ground below. It's oddly comforting, the sound of rain, it soothes her, always has.

The raised voices of her parents bring her attention away from her book and to her bedroom door. She's unsure what they're arguing about but she hazards a guess it's an argument revolving around the same thing their arguments always revolve around.

She hears something break before a bang and a very loud "you're drunk" coming from her mother. That's not a surprise; liquor has become his favourite thing in the last year. She's finds it quite hypocritical that her mother accosted her father for being drunk when Quinn knows it will only be a matter of time before she copies him.

This performance has happened most nights for the past couple of months, the pair of them screaming and shouting at one another, oblivious to the fact that she is upstairs trying to block out the sound. Some nights she'll be lucky and her father will stay in his office and the house is peaceful for once but that's a rarity. Most nights, although he stays at work late, he always comes home, after a detour to the nearest bar.

Her mom will accuse him of having an affair with his secretary. An accusation he vehemently denies even though both she and her mom know he's lying.

She places her book on her bedside table before taking off her glasses and resting them on top of the book. She turns her lamp off, shrouding the room in darkness; the only form of light coming from the landing through her door which she had left ajar just in case they started arguing.

That way she'd know what kind of night it would be.

She closes her eyes tightly, attempting to block out the noise from downstairs but it seems like the more Quinn tries to block it out, the louder her parents become. She only hopes their argument will end soon or her dad will pass out on the couch, whichever comes first really, she doesn't mind either one.

In the morning, they'll act frosty towards each other but neither of them will mention the events of tonight, they never do. They'll play the role of doting parents towards her and it took Quinn a while to realise that they were including her in the entire pretence. They pretended like nothing is wrong and they want Quinn to pretend too.

Pretend that they're one big happy family.

Part of wishes she could do that. It would be a lot easier that way but she finds it difficult to forget.

Of course that charade will only happen if she sees either of her parents at breakfast. Her dad has a habit of going to work early so as to avoid seeing her mother at the breakfast table, even though most mornings her mom is sleeping off the effects of the alcohol she drank the night before.

Her bedroom door opens slowly and Dusty pads into her room, immediately jumping onto her bed, lying down in the space beside her. She runs her fingers through his fur before stroking him softly. His eyes are closing and she strokes him once more before letting him sleep. Her parents never let Dusty sleep in her room when she was little, he had to stay downstairs.

That's just one rule that has disappeared now she's older.

Now he sleeps on her bed every night and Quinn likes his presence, it makes her feel safe and comforted.

She doesn't think that Dusty likes the noise either.

Standing from her bed she walks towards her window and stares at the house opposite her. The image is blurry and she reaches for her glasses before putting them on. The house becomes clear and her eyes immediately fall to the window of Rachel's bedroom. The brunette's drapes are closed, not that she's surprised, it is nearly midnight. Like Quinn's room, the entire house is dark except for the glow which reverberates in Rachel's room, causing her drapes to lighten a bit.

She rummages around her room in search of her phone, picking clothes off the floor only to throw them in another direction and then picking them up again to check if she threw them on her phone. When she lifts her duvet, Dusty stirs and looks at her curiously. She waves her phone at him before giving him a light pat of the head.

She debates internally for a second whether or not she should ring Rachel. It's unusual for her to be up this late, her strict daily regime wouldn't allow her and for that reason, Quinn half expects the brunette to have fallen asleep with the television on.

She doesn't want to wake her if that's the case but she just wants to talks to her.

Needs to talk to her.

Shrugging off her worries, she decides to call her. Who knows, Rachel might not even have her phone switched on and then Quinn will have been worrying for nothing. Besides, Quinn's called her before this late, several times. The first was when she heard her parents arguing for the first time. Her thumb hovers over the call button for several seconds before she presses it.

The wait seems torturous and Quinn starts to pace her bedroom before coming to a halt at her window once more. It takes a while but behind the drapes, Rachel's bedroom fills with light.

* * *

She had just been about to accept her first Tony Award from none other than Barbra Streisand when she heard the melodic tune of her ringtone. She scrunches her eyes shut in the hope that she will blissfully fall back into the dream but the ringing is persistent. Rubbing her eyes, she turns her bedside lamp on, closing her eyes quickly as light fills her bedroom. She allows herself time to adjust to the brightness before reaching for her phone and pressing the answer button without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" Her voice is gruff and filled with sleep, she coughs to try and make her voice sound like her. "Hello?" It remains gruff and she hears the person on the other end of the phone laugh. A laugh that she recognises straight away. "Quinn?"

"Do you get any other midnight callers?"

Rachel smiles softly. "No, that honour is strictly reserved for you."

"What are you watching?"

Rachel glances at her television screen which is currently playing the end of Funny Girl. "I was watching Funny Girl but I fell asleep and my television has been playing the remainder of the film for however long to no audience."

"You fell asleep during Funny Girl?" Quinn asks and Rachel can just picture her beaming widely at the thought.

"I guess tiredness prevailed over Barbra," Rachel replies before furrowing her eyebrows. "How did you know I was watching something anyway? Are you stalking me Quinn?"

She's pretty sure that Quinn will laugh at that, she has a tendency to laugh at most things Rachel says, even when they're not funny. She always has, ever since they were young. Sure enough, Quinn's laughter fills the phone. She places her feet on the cold, hardwood floor before heading towards her window, switching her television off on the way. She opens her drapes slightly and peeks out of them. After their first meeting, they realised that they could see each other in their bedroom if they were both close enough to the window but right now Quinn is somewhere out of sight. She releases her hold on the drape, allowing it to fall back into place before she sits on her window seat, tucking one leg underneath her.

"I could see the glow on your drapes. I didn't mean to wake you," Quinn says and Rachel can hear the lack of sincerity in her tone, meaning she wanted to wake her; she wanted to talk to her.

"It's okay," she tells her. "Actually it's a good thing you woke me up, leaving that television on all night would have been quite detrimental to the electricity bill." She hears Quinn chuckle softly, not as loud as her previous laughter but the sound still warms Rachel. "Why are you still awake?"

"Just couldn't sleep," Quinn replies but her voice is different now, it's laced with sadness rather than humour as it had previously been.

Rachel sighs lightly into the phone, loud enough for Quinn to hear. She knows that's not the truth.

"Is it your parents?"

She doesn't know why she even asks the question because she knows Quinn won't answer her. Whenever her parents are brought up, Quinn has a tendency to shut down and either changes the topic or just stays silent. This time it seems that the blonde has opted for the latter. Rachel shifts in her position on the window seat, tucking her knees up to her chest. She can hear Quinn's gentle breathing on the phone so knows she's still there. She waits patiently, hoping that Quinn will give her something.

Anything.

They used to tell each other everything when they were growing up. Just before she joined Quinn's elementary school, Rachel had confessed that she was terrified she wouldn't fit in and everybody would give her a wide berth because she was the new girl who had transferred during the middle of the school year. Quinn had quashed her nerves by telling her that no matter what, she would be there for her.

Quinn managed to keep that promise during elementary school and middle school.

Before they started high school, Quinn had confessed that she was scared of not being popular in high school. High school was different, everybody was older and crueller and Quinn wasn't prepared for that, should it be directed her way. This time it was Rachel's time to quash Quinn's fears by telling her the exact same thing Quinn had told her.

She would be there for her.

A promise which she has yet to break, even though she's had good enough reasons to.

She can still remember the day when Quinn told her she didn't want to be called Lucy anymore; she wanted to be called by her middle name. It had been a gradual change that Rachel observed but never said anything. The blonde started styling her hair in a different way, dressing differently and lost some weight. Not that Rachel ever thought she needed to lose weight but evidently, Quinn never saw what Rachel did when she looked in the mirror. She stopped wearing her glasses in favour of contacts, just one more thing that she could hide the real her behind. The change ended when Lucy told her to start calling her Quinn and not to mention Lucy anymore.

* * *

_Rachel attaches Dusty's lead to his collar and jolts forward as he starts moving quickly. Lucy laughs beside her before tugging on the lead gently, silently telling him to slow down. Rachel thanks her before wrapping the end of the lead around her hand._

"_I don't think I'll ever be able to walk him," she tells Lucy as they walk down the street. "He always walks me."_

_The blonde smiles widely at her friend. Ever since Lucy had first brought Dusty round to Rachel's house, the brunette had been in love with him and the feeling was most definitely mutual. Whenever Lucy walks him and Rachel's free, she'll join them and always asks if she can be the one to walk him. Never able to resist the pout that Rachel has perfected over the years, she always willingly hands over the lead to her. _

"_He's a big dog and you are quite tiny."_

"_I'm 5 foot 3," Rachel states proudly._

_Lucy bumps her friend's hip with own and whispers the word tiny under her breath, just loud enough for Rachel to hear. _

"_Are you all set to start high school next week?"_

_Lucy casts her gaze downwards at the question, scuffing her feet along the pavement as she walks. "Nearly, I just need one more thing."_

"_What's that?" Rachel asks as Dusty starts barking as another dog walker heads towards them, their German Shepherd barking furiously back at Dusty. Lucy takes the lead from Rachel and pulls Dusty into her, keeping him on her left side, away from the other dog. Once the dog has passed them and Dusty has calmed down, she hands the lead back to Rachel._

"_I don't want to be called Lucy anymore."_

_Rachel looks at her with furrowed eyebrows before bringing her attention back to the street in front of her. They turn down the next road leading towards the nearby park. "I'm sorry to be the one to break it to you Lucy but I'm afraid you can't change your name until you're older."_

"_I'm not talking about changing my name, well - not legally at least," Lucy explains. "I just want people to start calling me by a different name. I want to go to High School known by another name. I've already talked to my parents and they agreed."_

_Rachel releases the lead from Dusty's collar as they reach the park and he immediately dashes off happily. "What's wrong with Lucy?"_

"_I just don't feel like a Lucy anymore."_

"_You're changing a lot," Rachel points out. "I don't understand why. You don't need to."_

"_High school is going to be a lot different than middle school, people are older and crueller. The first day, we're going to be judged and that could very well affect our high school experience. I just - I guess I want to be popular."_

"_I believe that popularity is overrated," Rachel says as she sits down on one of the swings, waiting for Lucy to take the other one. The parkt is surprisingly empty, although that might be due to the fact that's it getting late. _

"_That's because we've never been popular."_

"_I'm okay with that," Rachel replies and the blonde doesn't even need to reply because Rachel knows that she's not okay with that. She sighs heavily before speaking. "What do you want me to call you?"_

_The blonde smiles at Rachel's acceptance. "Quinn."_

"_Your middle name?" The blonde nods her head. "And your parents are honestly okay with this?"_

"_They weren't overly thrilled at the news. My dad thinks Quinn isn't a feminine enough name and he prefers Lucy. But when he saw that I wasn't budging on the idea, he conceded and my mom agreed to the idea because it was simpler for her to agree than cause problems and she knew how happy it would make me."_

_Rachel kicks her feet on the swing. "Quinn." She lets the word roll off her tongue. "I prefer Lucy."_

_Quinn moves her swing so it's in close proximity to Rachel's and grabs the chains of the other swing, keeping her next to Rachel. "I know it's weird but I just - I didn't like myself as Lucy and I've already changed my hair and style, this name change is the icing on the cake as it were."_

"_I still don't think you needed to change, I think you're perfect the way you are."_

_Quinn smiles widely at her friend. "I appreciate that but it's just something I have to do."_

_Rachel shakes her head slowly. "It's something you want to do; you don't have to do anything."_

"_Maybe that's true but I still want you to call me Quinn."_

_Dusty bounds over to them and barks playfully once he reaches them. "We should head back, it's getting late and I told my dads I wouldn't be long."_

_Quinn nods and stands alongside Rachel, who has already connected Dusty's lead to his collar. The walk back to their houses is coated in an awkward silence and Quinn bites her lip, desperate to break the tense atmosphere but wanting Rachel to talk first. It doesn't seem to take as long to reach their houses as it did to reach the park and it's then that Quinn realises Rachel is walking quicker than her normal pace._

"_Here you go," Rachel says, handing Dusty's lead over to her friend._

"_Thank you."_

"_Are we still on for tomorrow?"_

_Quinn bobs her head eagerly. "Of course."_

_Rachel smiles widely before pulling her friend in for a hug which Quinn gratefully accepts. When Rachel releases her hold on Quinn, she steps back and tugs her bottom lip between her teeth._

"_Good bye Quinn." Rachel chuckles to herself softly. "I still think it sounds weird."_

"_You'll get used to it," Quinn says, trying to appease her friend. "Bye Rachel."_

_Quinn watches as Rachel crosses the road and enters her own home, giving her a quick wave before closing the door behind her. Quinn can't rid her face of the smile that has appeared at hearing Rachel say her preferred name and as she walks into her house, she can't help but think how good her name sounded on Rachel's lips. _

* * *

Lucy represented the old her, the person that she wasn't happy with. Quinn was the new her.

Rachel had wanted to ask whether she would still be a part of Quinn's life or whether she would be cast aside, like everything else that had been associated with Lucy. But she could never bring herself to ask.

Ironically she received her answer a couple of weeks into high school without having to even ask Quinn the question.

Although technically, she is still part of Quinn's life, it's not what she wants. To be her friend outside of school but not during school, unless it's just the two of them.

She constantly tells herself that she won't put up with it much longer; she'll put her foot down and tell Quinn that it's either all or nothing. Either be friends with her at school or their friendship is over.

Then Quinn will do something that makes Rachel remember why they're friends in the first place, like coming round to her house when there is a thunderstorm so she's not alone or calling her at midnight just because she wants to talk to her over any of her other friends.

And Rachel crumbles and allows their relationship to remain the same because at the end of the day, Quinn is still her best friend.

"Are you still there?" She hears Quinn ask and the tone of her voice makes Rachel's stomach drop. She sounds worried and the sniffle which follows tells Rachel that she's close to crying.

"I'm here."

"I thought you'd hung up."

Rachel shakes her head even though Quinn can't see her. "I was waiting for you to answer my question. If I'm being honest, I thought you might hang up."

"I wouldn't hang up on you," Quinn replies softly, sniffling quietly. "Open your drapes."

Rachel obliges immediately and draws back her drapes so she can look at the house opposite, only to find Quinn's bedroom clouded in darkness. She's about to tell Quinn she can't see her when the room is filled with light and Quinn appears at the window. She waves slowly and Rachel mimics her actions.

Rachel's surprised to see Quinn wearing her glasses; she didn't think Quinn ever wore them anymore. She bites down on her bottom lip and exhales heavily. "Is it your parents?"

She can see Quinn flinch at the question and that tells her all she needs to know. Quinn turns away from the window and Rachel mentally slaps herself for asking the question again. Quinn turns back around several seconds.

"I should let you go," Quinn whispers the words. "I shouldn't have woken you in the first place."

"Don't worry –"

"Good night Rachel," Quinn promptly cuts her off and Rachel knows there's no point in arguing, this conversation is over whether she likes it or not.

"Good night Quinn."

Quinn closes her drapes and Rachel does the same, placing her phone on the window seat before walking back to bed. She climbs in and closes her eyes, wishing that moments like that with Quinn were a frequent part of her life and knowing full well that in the morning, everything will go back to the way it was.

Quinn will be popular and she'll be left to watch from the side lines.


End file.
